The all-cash transaction could see Alexion shell out another $470 million in regulatory and sales-related milestones. The firm says it plans to finance the acquisition through existing cash reserves and $300 million in committed bank debt.

HPP is a rare and potentially fatal inherited metabolic bone disease characterized by poor bone minerailization and profound skeletal defects. The disease is caused by a deficiency in tissue nonspecific alkaline phosphatase, which causes abnormalities in the metabolism of calcium and phosphate. Asfotase alfa has been developed to replace the missing enzyme in relevant tissues. The enzyme replacement therapy has received orphan drug designation in the EU and U.S. and been granted fast track status in the U.S.

“The acquisition of Enobia is very well aligned with Alexion’s objective to develop and deliver life-transforming therapies for patients suffering with ultrarare, severe, and life-threatening disorders,” comments Leonard Bell, M.D., Alexion CEO. “Asfotase alfa has shown very compelling Phase II clinical data in infants and juveniles with hypophsphatasia.”

Alexion is focused on the development and commercialization of treatments for severe and ultrarare disorders. The firm’s marketed product, Soliris® is a terminal complement inhibitor developed for the treatment of patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). Soliris is currently approved in more than 35 countries for the PNH indication. In September and November the drug was granted FDA and EU approval, respectively, for the treatment of aHUS.

Alexion is separately evaluating other potential indications for Soliris and has leveraged its complement inhibition and antibody platforms to generate a clinical development-stage pipeline spanning the fields of hematologic, kidney, and neurologic diseases, transplant rejection, cancer and autoimmune disorders.

Jobs

GEN Jobs powered by HireLifeScience.com connects you directly to employers in pharma, biotech, and the life sciences. View 40 to 50 fresh job postings daily or search for employment opportunities including those in R&D, clinical research, QA/QC, biomanufacturing, and regulatory affairs.

GEN Poll

Secure Science

Should bans on science education, of the sort imposed on Iranians hoping to study physics and engineering in the United States, encompass other nationals and other fields of study, including biotechnology?

No. Such bans could easily get out of control, preventing the sharing and growth of knowledge.

Yes. The potential, for example, for the development of bioweapons if biotech information gets into the wrong hands must be minimized.

No. Such bans could easily get out of control, preventing the sharing and growth of knowledge.

57.1%

Yes. The potential, for example, for the development of bioweapons if biotech information gets into the wrong hands must be minimized.

If you have any questions about your subscription, click
hereto email us or call at (914) 740-2189.

You may also be interested in subscribing to the GEN magazine, an indispensable
resource for everyone involved in the business of translating discoveries at the
bench into solutions that fight disease and improve health, agriculture, and the
environment. Subscribe
today to see why over 60,000 biotech professionals read GEN to
keep current in the areas of genomics, proteomics, drug discovery, biomarker discovery,
bioprocessing, molecular diagnostics, collaborations, biotech business trends, and
more.